Secrets of Christianity

Learning the secret of Scripture and sainthood

04/12/2021

John 3:1-8 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

One of the hardest things about studying Scripture or becoming a saint is that it is not simple or straight-forward; indeed, it is sometimes secretive. Why is that frustrating? Well, we Americans like things to be obvious and uncomplicated. The golden rule of journalism is the “KISS principle,” “keep it simple, stupid.” Newspapers and magazines are written for sixth grade-level comprehension. What do you call someone who speaks two languages? They are “bilingual.” What do you call someone who speaks only one language? They are “American.” We always want everything easy for us, and therefore the Bible often baffles us.

In the first few centuries of Christianity, there was a prevailing practice of the “disciplina arcani” or the “discipline of the secret.” That is, we did not talk about the most important mysteries of our faith in public or with non-Christians. Have you ever noticed how we dismiss the RCIA candidates after the homily on Sunday? The first half of the Mass was called the “Mass of the Catechumens,” and the catechumens had to leave before the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the main mystery of our religion, Holy Communion. The assembly would exclaim: “Holy things for the holy!”

In other words, Holy Communion is for the saints who have struggled to grow closer to Christ. That is also the reason that underlies why non-Catholics cannot receive Holy Communion today. There is a “secretive quality” to Sacred Scripture that is also evident in the lives of the saints. Holy things are for the holy – those who struggle, sweat, study and sacrifice – and that is really hard for 21st century Americans, who want everyone to “keep it simple, stupid.”

In the gospel today, Nicodemus must have hailed from somewhere in the United States because he begs for Jesus to “keep it simple.” In Jn 3 Jesus is revealing the great secret of baptism and how it makes you a child of God by being born again by water and the Holy Spirit. What does Nicodemus reply? He asks: “How can a man once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” If Nicodemus’ question sounds silly to me and you, that is a good thing. Why? Because you know one of the “disciplina arcani,” one of the great secrets of the Scriptures and the saints, namely, baptism.

But notice how hard it was for Nicodemus to grasp this secret, a man who was highly educated, a Pharisee, and member of the Sanhedrin, and even holy because he wanted to follow Jesus. Nicodemus would first have to sweat, struggle, study (even more) and sacrifice to be able to stay after the “Mass of the Catechumens” and eventually enjoy the “Liturgy of the Eucharist.” In other words, Christianity does not comply with the KISS principle. Those who seek a faith that is simple and stupid will not understand the Scriptures or the lives of the saints.

My friends, what grade-level is your understanding of the faith? Is it at a second-grade level, or are you “smarter than a fifth grader” in Christianity? Now, there is a true sense in which our faith should be “childlike.” Jesus urged in Mark 10, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Nonetheless, be careful not to confuse “childlike” with “childish,” that is, being “childlike” is not an excuse for being lazy.

No one in the history of humanity has had the educational resources at their disposal as we Americans do today, and yet how easily we squander them. We have libraries full of books, even in our phones and laptops, but they remain unread and ignored. We can enjoy the erudition of world-class professors, theologians and Scripture scholars through on-line resources, but we would rather play video games or watch silly cat videos.

No country or culture has ever experienced this much unprecedented free time or leisure, and yet how do we spend our day off and our downtimes? We may laugh at the silly statement of Nicodemus, but at least he was willing to work to understand the faith asking questions and even feeling foolish. He wanted to sweat, struggle, study and sacrifice to know the Scriptures and be a saint.

Folks, the journalistic jargon of the KISS principle will take you far in a career in writing. I know, I have written three books, which I kept pretty simple. But it will not take you far in learning the Scriptures or in the lives of the saints. Keep the discipline of the secrets from those who are not Christian, but don’t keep the secret from yourself.

Praised be Jesus Christ!